18 April 2024
At a special evening on 18 April, the Master unveiled the portrait of The Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor Alderman Nicholas Lyons. Alderman Nicholas Lyons was elected as the 694th Lord Mayor of the City of London in 2022 (and the Company's 4th Lord Mayor in the last 100 years). The portrait was commissioned to commemorate The Lord Mayor’s service, specifically during the King’s Coronation.
The artist, @simonwatkinsart said,
"It was a great honour and pleasure to paint the Lord Mayor of London's portrait for the Merchant Taylors' Company.
The City of London is a fascinating mixture of the historical and the cutting-edge, looking back while moving forward. The art of portraiture has a similar balancing act: informed by a great tradition with some of history's finest painters, one still must paint people as they live and breathe today."